5. Environmental Risk Factors
There are several environmental risk factors to consider when it comes to leishmaniasis. Areas that have seen recent development can often be a ground for infected sand flies. Deforestation, building dams, mining, and creating new or changing the old irrigation schemes in an area as well as any other common aspect of urbanization can cause an increased exposure of sand flies.
This increased exposure to these tiny flies can then lead to more leishmanial infections. Migratory patterns or the movement of a large population of individuals who are susceptible to leishmaniasis also increases the number of people that become infected.
As mentioned, the disease is spread by sandflies that are infected with the parasite. The flies become infected by biting a person or animal, most often dogs that are carrying the parasite already.
The parasite can spread very quickly in this manner.